The Nokia Blog » qik

Qik Premium Adds Higher Quality Transcoding – Available Exclusively at Nokia’s Ovi Store

Mark Guim — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 19:16:23 +0000

If you have been live streaming videos from Qik on your Nokia phones, then you might like to know that Qik Premium was released today exclusively for the Ovi store. It gives you the ability to save your videos from qik.com in the mpeg-4 format, higher quality transcoding, and access to upcoming features.

It is available for download at a promotional price of $4.99/year which ends March 31st, 2010. Qik also promises to bring the ability to upload and share videos recorded with your mobile phone’s native camera application in an update. You can download Qik Premium from the Ovi Store application on your Nokia phone or through the browser with this link.

If you enjoyed this article, you might also like...

Nokia N900 Preview of Qik

Mark Guim — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 17:15:49 +0000

You probably already know that Qik lets you stream video live from your phone. In case you need a reminder, I met the cofounder, Bhaskar Roy, at the Nokia N900 NYC meetup and asked him to give The Nokia Blog viewers a demo. Take a look.

You can also watch this video in HD on Youtube. Subscribe to the channel to preview the latest videos before they get published on the blog.

As a reminder, this is just a preview of what’s to come. This article is based on Qik version 0.0.36 running on a pre-production Nokia N900. Features may be added or changed when the Nokia N900 arrives in stores.

Qik on the Nokia N900 has a very simplistic interface. There’s a prominent green button that lets you stream videos immediately. There’s also quick access to set a title and and privacy.

The application menu on top gives you more settings to play with. Here, you can choose whether to stream videos with max quality or minimum delay. You can also go to your Qik profile from this menu or sign up if you’re new.

Clicking anywhere else on the screen toggles full-screen mode just like the main camera application on the Nokia N900. I noticed there’s currently no way for me to use video autofocus. I hope this feature gets added in an update.

Video Sample

Results

I found streaming to work really well on wifi. The delay is very minimal. My main complaint is that the videos aren’t really viewable ‘live’ when using the a carrier’s internet connection. Viewers will see a choppy video until the file is fully uploaded. For best results, use wifi. What’s also great about Qik is that it will automatically resume uploading if it was previously interrupted or disconnected.

Qik is the fastest way to share your videos online. You can choose to automatically upload your videos to Facebook or send out a Tweet when streaming live. There are more services to automatically forward the Qik streams. I recommend installing it if your phone is supported and definitely recommend it on the Nokia N900.

If you enjoyed this article, you might also like...

Nokia N97 Live Video Tests with Qik

Mark Guim — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 17:43:01 +0000

I woke up early Saturday to play basketball and saw one of my buddies set up a pocket HD camcorder to get some video from the games. This reminded me that I can take videos on the spot and share with my friends (almost) live from my Nokia phone with Qik.

Convenience

If my buddy wants to share his video online he’ll have to transfer the video from cam to PC first, then PC to Youtube. With my phone, all I have to do is open the Qik app to stream live and it will announce to my Twitter and Facebook automatically if they want to watch. There’s even an option to copy the video over to Youtube automatically or manually with one-click.

I tested Qik today on the Nokia N97 with 3 videos and set it to the nHD quality (640×352 resolution). Check it out below.

Basketball in the AM

Rollerskating and dancing at Central Park

Hula hoops

Problems. Qik sounds very simple, right? Just shoot and it’ll be there for everyone to watch before you arrive home. No extra steps needed.

I noticed some problems though. If I’m not connected to wifi, the video will be very laggy to the people watching it live. It reminds me of watching a Youtube video with a 56K modem. Remember those days?

I was connected to AT&T’s 3G network and streaming with the 640×352 resolution takes about double the length of the stream to finish uploading the whole thing. However most of my friends will most likely discover the videos much later so they won’t even notice the delay.

If you enjoyed this article, you might also like...

Qik Connects With Facebook – Upload Videos and Update Status

Mark Guim — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 00:58:12 +0000

I love Qik because it lets me share live video streams direct from my Nokia phone. I used it to stream my civil wedding a few months ago. On Monday, they added new features that make them even better to use with my Nokia phones. They connected with Facebook!

When you add Facebook as a service, you have 2 options on the Qik networksettings.

Wall and Status Update

Check Update my wall and status if you want your Facebook friends to know automatically the moment you are streaming. This option has been available on Twitter for a long time, so it’s great to finally see this on Facebook.

Qik updates the status link to the live stream

When I streamed my civil wedding using Qik, I had to manually type the Qik URL on my phone and updated my Facebook status before proceeding. I no longer need to do that. This feature would have been really handy then.

Upload Videos

Check Upload all videos to Facebook and the streamed video will be added to your Facebook video collection immediately. You can later on tag, share, and comment as usual. I’m not going to use this option because I prefer selecting which videos to upload to Facebook.

And More

A few other features were included with the update, but the two I mentioned are the ones worth noting. Make sure to read their announcement from the Qik blog for full details.

Thoughts

When it comes to status updates on Twitter or Facebook, I really prefer to show than tell. You might ask why? If our Nokia phone allows us to include photos and videos within those status updates, why not? The recent Qik update makes the experience even better.

How do you like this new Qik/Facebook integration?

If you enjoyed this article, you might also like...

I Got Married And Streamed Live With Nokia N85

Mark Guim — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 02:24:38 +0000

Last Friday, Sheila and I went to the City Clerk’s office and got married. There were only six people in the room, but a few more people saw the short ceremony live. I asked her dad to hold the Nokia N85 to stream the event using the Qik application. Just like our engagement, I also used the Ping.fm service to announce it with the N85.

Note: Head over to the blog if the video below is not visible in your RSS reader.

Using the web browser on the Nokia N85, I went to m.ping.fm to tell my friends on Facebook, Twitter, and Jaiku that I’ll be streaming the ceremony. I posted the link to the Qik page where it will be shown. The people who clicked on the link that moment witnessed the whole thing live. Those who saw it moments later watched the recording. You can see it below.

As expected, it was a very quick, in-and-out ordeal. We will have a bigger ceremony in a couple years, but life is short, so we wanted to get officially married right away.

After watching the video, I noticed saying, “yes” instead of “I do.” Whoops. I also gave my right finger instead of my left for the wedding ring. Double whoops.

If you enjoyed this article, you might also like...

Vlog: Qik Update .0898 Restores Videos

Mark Guim — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 02:17:30 +0000

I just noticed that Qik got updated to version .0898 while setting it up on the Nokia E71. One change I see is that it uploads restored files. I don’t exactly know what restored files are, but I’m guessing they are videos that did not get fully uploaded and Qik tries to resume it. I made a video with the new version and made another video making the video. Got it?

Qik restoring videos on the new version

Live Versus Edited

We have written about Qik a few times and there are several reasons why people like it. It’s not a hassle to get a video online. You click stream and the video goes up right away. Below are examples of two videos of the same event. One video was edited on my laptop before uploaded, while the Qik version is the real unedited version that was streamed and available right away. Notice the difference?

Note: if the embedded videos below are not visible in your RSS, head directly to the blog post.

Edited Video.

Unedited Qik Video.

If you enjoyed this article, you might also like...

Best Ways to Use Twitter With Nokia Phones

Mark Guim — Mon, 01 Sep 2008 00:16:31 +0000

If you’re one of the millions of people using Twitter, I’ll tell you the best ways to use it with your recent Nokia or S60 phone. I’ll show you what applications to use and how you can show location, videos, and pictures with your tweets.

Application For Twitter

A common question I see is what application to install to use Twitter on their S60 Nokia phones. The answer is twibble. You can even use your phone’s GPS for twibble to include your location with your tweets. You can supposedly insert photos thru twibble, but I got errors trying. I’ll tell you more about tweeting with photos so keep reading. Download twibble mobile.

Using the S60 Browser For Twitter

If you do not like Twibble, a better way to send tweets ~~is accessing m.slandr.net through the browser.~~ Update: I now prefer to use dabr.co.uk because it seems to have more options and looks prettier. You can send tweets, view replies, and check direct messages here as well. This is for you if you don’t want to bother installing anything on your phone. Alternatively, you can use m.twitter.com to keep it simple and don’t need to see replies nor direct messages.

Dabr, Twibble and Slandr For twitter

How to Add Photos with Tweets

Add twitpic as an upload site in Shozu. Take a photo, add a title for the picture, then send it to twitpic using Shozu. Here’s a sample tweet with a photo inserted through Shozu.

Sample tweet using twitpic

How to Add Videos with Tweets

Another cool way to use Twitter with your Nokia phone is by adding live video streams. You can read about it on my previous post

How To: Live Video Stream On Twitter Using Qik On Nokia Phone

Your Thoughts

So there you have it… the best ways to use Twitter with your Nokia phones. Are you a Twitter user? Let me know in the comments below which methods above you have already been using and/or have not known about. Also consider following me on twitter.

If you enjoyed this article, you might also like...

How To: Live Video Stream On Twitter Using Qik On Nokia Phone

Mark Guim — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 22:09:01 +0000

It’s unbelievable what our phones can do. We know lots of people tweet what they’re doing on Twitter, but with the addition of a Nokia phone and the Qik service, you can SHOW people what you’re doing right now. This is possible by automatically letting Twitter know whenever you start streaming on Qik. I’ll show you how.

Example: automatic tweet from Nokia N95 8GB using Qik

What you need first: You’ll need a cameraphone (I’m using the Nokia N95 8GB as an example), a Twitter account, and a Qik account.

Setting It Up

Sign in to your Qik profile then click edit profile -> Networks. Twitter is the first one on the list. Click here if you can’t find it.
Click Edit this account then type your login info from Twitter.
On the message form, type what you want to show up as the first phrase on each ‘tweet.’ I chose live video for my account.
Check “Tweet all videos” so that videos automatically get announced on Twitter.
Click save changes. Done.

Setting it up

Using It

Open up Qik on your phone.
Optional, but I recommend setting a title for each stream. You can do this by Menu -> Stream Info -> Set Title.
When you’re ready just press “Stream.” Your twitter friends will be notified right away and can watch what you’re doing live instead of just reading about it.

Set the title on Qik. Here’s my tweet example for this post.

You are now ready to live stream and Tweet at the same time. Be careful with a live drunk tweet though… you might regret it in the morning.

If you enjoyed this article, you might also like...

Vlog: Qik Tip – Streamed Videos Are Saved in the Gallery

Ninong Brown — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 05:00:20 +0000

Have you ever recorded a live video stream via Qik that you also wanted to upload on Facebook? Don’t want to have to download the video off the Qik website on your laptop or your phone? Can’t install the live player on your site? Well, upgrade to the new version and see what’s what. The streamed videos are now also accessible through the gallery. Autosave FTW!

Note: Embedded flash video below might not be visible in your RSS readers.

Hopefully Mark and I were able to provide you with some useful information, or at least made you laugh.

My advice, upgrade to the new version of Qik and start uploading your videos to Facebook and other sites as well. It’s not overtly profound, but it will make your video uploading time shorter and easier.

If you enjoyed this article, you might also like...

Live Vlog: Stream Live and Talk To Your Viewers With the Nokia Nseries

Mark Guim — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 05:10:53 +0000

We’ve praised Qik several times here at the Nokia blog, and here’s yet another Qik post. On my way home, I started streaming live while driving and noticed a question popped out in my screen. I replied and a short live conversation proceeded! This is a feature that not many phones are capable of.

As I got back home, I decided to check out the video quality of the stream and I was impressed. Even while driving down the highway, the quality was pretty good.

Click if you can’t see the video in your RSS reader.

I was using the North American Nokia N95 8GB (N95-4) connected to high speed 3G internet provided by AT&T in North America. A fast connection is necessary to keep the stream as close to live as possible. If you are in the United States and want to stream live from your phone, you’ll need either the Nokia N95 NAM (N95-3) or the Nokia N95 8GB NAM (N95-4) with an AT&T data plan.

If you enjoyed posts like this, consider subscribing to the Nokia blog RSS feed or subscribe by email to have new posts go straight to your inbox.

If you enjoyed this article, you might also like...

First Hike With The Nokia N95: Castle Rock Unique Area

Mark Guim — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 16:40:14 +0000

I’m currently taking a hiking class and will be hiking every Sunday until May. I have the Nokia N95 NAM with me to record the hike, stream live videos, and take geotagged pictures. The first hike was in Castle Rock Unique Area in Philipstown, NY, which is about an hour and a half north of New York City.

The introductory hike was 2 miles with a vertical height of 700 feet. Introductory was definitely not easy. For the next hike, I need to bring better shoes. My boots were too heavy and it tired me out right after we started.

Recording Hike With Sports Tracker

The hike was recorded with GPS data using Nokia Sports Tracker. Below is a map of the hike showing geotagged photos right on the map. If you would like to know how to do this on your blog, read my guides on embedding geotagged photos and embedding sports tracker data to your blog.

You can also change views or zoom in. May not be visible in RSS readers.

Streaming Live With Qik

I was also streaming live videos using Qik, but decided only to do it in safer trails because I did not want to get hurt if I lost my footing and needed to hold on to something. You can view one of the videos below.

Geotagging Photos With Location Tagger

I was also running Location Tagger on my Nokia N95 while taking pictures. All the photos were tagged with the current GPS location. Take a look at the photos below and Flickr will show you the location in the photo’s exif data. On the upcoming Nseries phones, this will be done automatically without installing another program!

Thoughts

I was able to record my hike’s path, take GPS-tagged photos, and stream live videos to the internet. It’s good to know that I was able to do all of this at the same time using a device that I carry around every day: my mobile phone.

I know the Nokia N82 was marketed for this kind of usage, but any phone running S60 3rd edition is capable. I don’t want to get too technical with this post so head over to S60 to learn more about it. My N95 NAM also have faster internet connection due to the North American 3G. Streaming live videos during a hike with the Nokia N82 in the United States will be useless.

The next hike for next Sunday is at Popolopen Gorge with the distance of 5 miles and 1,000 feet vertical rise. Subscribe to the Nokia blog feed to watch my progress.

If you enjoyed this article, you might also like...

Live Vlog: Mark at the Park

Ninong Brown — Sat, 05 Apr 2008 22:25:35 +0000

Here we have a bunch of asians attempting to play ball. Our dear friend Mr. Nokia Blog himself is playing. Can you spot Mark playing ball? Peep after the jumpshot.

LOL, don’t hesitate to critique Mark and his game. This is presented to you by Qik running on my Nokia N95 NAM (Nokia N95-3), which I still say is the best streaming software for any mobile phone. You can read more about what I think of Qik in my review.

If you enjoyed this article, you might also like...

Vlog: Live Contest Results of the Ovi Stickers Giveaway

Mark Guim — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 00:31:20 +0000

Congratulations to Abul Hussain, also known as adonisdemon, who blogs at Symbian in Motion for winning the five Ovi stickers from last week’s giveaway. To make sure that I was not cheating on this contest, I decided to stream the video to Qik from the Nokia N95. It worked as expected.

Here’s the embedded video below. If you are reading this in your RSS reader, it might not be visible. This is also the direct link to the video.

If you haven’t checked out Ovi yet, it is a one-stop source for storing and sharing your photos and videos. It is also easy to upload your media right from your phone. I’m a little afraid that news of Flickr opening up video sharing will be a threat to Ovi, but we’ll see.

Qik worked great for streaming the video for the contest winner. The average delay was about 15 seconds. I was connected on AT&T’s 3G internet, but the latest version allows you to take video anytime and it will upload it for you once a connection is established. No extra work is required. My buddy Ninong Brown shared his review of Qik and likes it.

If you enjoyed this article, you might also like...

Review: The Many Uses of Qik

Ninong Brown — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 04:35:31 +0000

Qik for mobile phones is one hell of an application. As many of you know, Qik is an application that let’s you stream live feeds via your cell phone, and in my case, the Nokia N95. You might be asking yourself, “what reasons would I need this application at all?” Well, see more after the jump…

Qik let’s you stream live video feeds from your phone to the internet, via you personal Qik page or a player which you can embed on your blog or site. What could you possibly use Qik for?

Well, if you’re considered a very interesting person, you can broadcast your daily life in order to amuse masses. Or, let’s say you’re at an event and you’re buddies can’t make it, you can give them a little taste or a peek at what they’re missing. Or if you’ve discovered a new spot or even an undiscovered band that you like, you can broadcast it to the world in order to share. This program is priceless if you’re a blogger. No need to carry anything else in order to blog but your trusty cell phone, it makes you highly “mobile”.

The possibilities and reasons are endless. For instance, our little review of “Vantage Point”:

I personally love Qik. Even if you don’t have a signal (i.e. in a basement or subway system), stream anyway. Qik wil save the videos and upload them as soon as you acquire one. Also, while shooting live feeds, the public can communicate with you via their computers. In fact, their comments pop into your screen as your shooting and you can respond to their questions and comments as soon as you receive them. The program is easy to use, it’s pretty much point and shoot.

Another example is this Call of Duty 4 video of matches that I broadcast for my brother’s clan. Those unable to play we’re able to watch his match.
In my opinion, this is a must have app.

If you enjoyed this article, you might also like...

Mobile World Congress Here I Come

Mark Guim — Fri, 08 Feb 2008 18:58:43 +0000

I just received confirmation that I’ll be heading to the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. I’m excited that Nokia and Nseries WOM World are giving me the opportunity to attend such events and share my experience with my readers. I’m looking forward to see some cool new gadgets and services related to the mobile industry. Read on to see my coverage plans.

I’ll be taking many photos and videos and post them online as soon as possible. My main gadgets will be the Nokia N95 NAM, Nokia N82, and Macbook Pro.

Using the laptop, I’ll be posting live on the blog during the keynotes. Using Shozu on either of the phones, I’ll be able to upload photos to Flickr automatically after pictures are taken. Using Qik or Flixwagon on the phones (I’m still not sure which one I’ll prefer), I’ll be able to stream video to you live. Isn’t it amazing what our phones are now capable of?

I will be leaving New York City tomorrow and land in Barcelona Saturday morning, Feb. 10th. I don’t know what my itinerary will be like, but I will post it as soon as I find out. Check back frequently and subscribe to the Nokia blog feed to stay updated.

If you are going to be there, let me know and say hi! I know a bunch of bloggers I follow will be there as well so I’m looking forward to meet them in person.